COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT APPROACH AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN OIL AND GAS HOST COMMUNITIES IN AKWA IBOM STATE

Abstract

Different community development models have been experimented to help curb conflicts and fastrack community development. This study evaluated community-driven development (CDD) approach as an alternative conflict management strategy in Akwa Ibom State. Four specific objectives, four research questions and two hypotheses were stated to guide the study. The study was conducted in Ibeno, Eket and Eastern-obolo local government areas of Akwa Ibom State. Descriptive cross-sectional study was used. A sample size of 250 respondents was drawn from the population. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed for the study. Primary data was collected from the respondents using questionnaires, focused group discussion and interviews. The questionnaire was validated by three experts from Akwa Ibom State university. The reliability of the instrument was determined through the split half method. The instrument was administered on 30 persons from another oil producing community not used in the study. The data obtained were analyzed using Kuder Richardson 21, which gave a value of .88. Mean, frequencies and charts were used to answer the research questions and Pearson product Moment Correlation was used for testing the null hypothesis at .05 level of significance. Findings of the study showed that there were viable CDD projects in the host communities. The study identified welfare, empowerment, projects and rights-based approaches for CDD efforts. It was recommended that systematic monitoring and evaluation of program processes and outcomes are critical to ensure that programs continue to grow and adapt to changing conditions.

Keywords